Notification of the presence of messages from currently called subscriber

ABSTRACT

To relieve a user of a first fixed or mobile terminal from consulting messages deposited in a voicemail server, the voicemail server notifies the first terminal of the presence of a deposited message associated with the identifier of a second terminal, immediately after off-hooking and transmission of the identifier. The message is transmitted to the first terminal only if the user wishes to listen to it so as to decide whether or not to hold the call to the second terminal. Otherwise, it proceeds with the setting up of the call to the second terminal.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of the PCT InternationalApplication No. PCT/FR01/01463 filed on May 15, 2001, which is based onthe French Application No. 00-06720 filed on May 23, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a method of notifying a user towhom a message is addressed, of the depositing of the message in anelectronic mail service of a telecommunication network, such as aswitched telephone network or a radiotelephony network.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Servers for notifying deposited messages are at present designedso that notifications are transmitted either periodically, or as soon asa first user comes off-hook, to the first user terminal for which themessages are intended, to indicate to the first user that he hasreceived messages.

[0006] If the first user has received a large number of messages, forexample during a long absence, the message notification service does notoffer the facility to identify among all the messages those whichoriginate from a second user. The first user must listen sequentially tothe new messages that have been deposited in the mail service during hisabsence until he reaches the messages deposited by the second user.

[0007] If the first user wishes to communicate quickly with the seconduser, without listening to all the deposited messages, or afterlistening to only some of them, the first user calls the second user,taking the risk of not knowing information that the second user may havetransmitted him in the deposited messages, and that the second user maythink the first user has listened to.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a method ofnotifying of the depositing of a message in a mail service informing thefirst user immediately if the second user that he wishes to call hasleft him a message, thereby relieving the first user of the constraintof consulting all the messages deposited in the voicemail service beforesetting up a call if the first user wishes to communicate quickly withthe second user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] To this end, a method of notifying a first terminal of a messagedeposited by a second terminal in a voicemail server associated with thefirst terminal, is characterized in that, after a request to call thesecond terminal from the first terminal, the method comprises thefollowing steps:

[0010] transmitting to the voicemail server an identifier of the secondterminal supplied by the first terminal,

[0011] looking for the transmitted identifier in a new message table ofthe voicemail server that maps non-listened messages transmitted byterminals and intented for the first terminal and identifiers of saidterminals,

[0012] from the voicemail server notifying to the first terminal of thepresence of a message associated with the identifier of the secondterminal and found in the new message table,

[0013] transmitting said message from the voicemail server to the firstterminal to listen to the message in response to a message listeningrequest from the first terminal, and

[0014] from the voicemail server notifying the first terminal of aprompt to confirm or cancel the setting up of the call of the secondterminal after listening to said message.

[0015] Accordingly, in accordance with the invention, any new messagedeposited in the voicemail server by the user of a second terminal issystematically signaled to the first user as soon as the first usercalls the second user, without constraining the first user to listen toother new messages deposited. Nevertheless, the invention does notimpose listening to the new message or messages transmitted by thesecond terminal, since the first user can decline to listen to amessage, in which case the requested call is set up.

[0016] In different embodiments of the invention, the identifier of thesecond terminal transmitted to the voicemail server is supplied by thefirst terminal by entering the identifier on the keypad of the firstterminal or by speaking the identifier into the first terminal if theserver has a voice recognition device.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the voicemail servercontains a directory set up from the first terminal and mappingtelephone numbers of terminals and alphanumeric labels, the identifierof a terminal being the telephone number and/or the label of thatterminal.

[0018] The directory is constructed by the user via the first terminal,preferably before using the service in accordance with the invention,and subsequently as and when he consults messages deposited by newusers. Accordingly, after the step of transmitting said message to thefirst terminal when the identifier of the second terminal is thetelephone number of the latter and is not included in the directory, themethod of the invention comprises the following steps:

[0019] from the voicemail server notifying the first terminal of aprompt to add to the directory a label of the second terminal incorrespondence with the telephone number,

[0020] proceeding to the step of notifying the setting up of the call,in response to the first terminal declining to add a label of the secondterminal to the directory,

[0021] from the voicemail server notifying the first terminal of a labelrequest, in response to the first terminal confirming addition of thelabel to the voicemail server, and

[0022] transmitting said label from the first terminal to the voicemailserver and proceeding to the step of notifying the setting-up of thecall.

[0023] As a general rule, after listening to the found message, ordeclining to listen to the found message, the voicemail server istransferring the found message with the identifier of the secondterminal from the new message table to an old message table which can beconsulted afterwards.

[0024] In practice, a response from the first terminal at a step ofnotifying from the voicemail server is a DTMF code or a voice message ifthe voicemail server comprises a voice recognition device.

[0025] The invention also relates to a voicemail server implementing themethod of the invention connected to switching and service access meansof a public switched telephone network when the first terminal is afixed terminal, or of a radiotelephony network if the first terminal isa mobile radiotelephone terminal. The voicemail server is characterizedin that it comprises means for looking for an identifier of the secondterminal supplied by the first terminal to the voicemail server via theswitching and service access means in a new message table of thevoicemail server that maps non-listened messages transmitted byterminals and intented for the first terminal and identifiers of saidterminal, following a request to call a second terminal from the firstterminal, and for transmitting to the first terminal a notification ofthe presence of a message associated with the identifier of the secondterminal and found in the new message table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more clearly apparent on reading the following description ofplural preferred embodiments of the invention, which is given withreference to the corresponding accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a message notification system forimplementing the method;

[0028]FIG. 2 is an algorithm of the main steps of a message notificationmethod according to the invention; and

[0029]FIG. 3 is an algorithm of supplementary steps of the messagenotification method according to the invention, relating to adding auser label to a directory.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of a notification systemfor implementing the notification method according to the invention isdescribed in the context of a fixed switched telephone network RTC andin relation to two users U1 and U2 having two telephone terminals T1 andT2 respectively connected to routing autonomy exchanges C1 and C2 viauser telephone lines L1 and L2. In a variant the terminals T1 and T2 areconnected to the same exchange C1. The telephone lines L1 and L2conventionally comprise a pair of conductor wires and transmit analogsignals, and in particular voice notification messages, from theexchange to the terminals and user responses in dual tone multifrequency(DTMF) code to the exchanges.

[0031] The notification service offered by the invention to the firstuser U1 is incorporated into the signaling network RS associated withthe telephone network RTC, providing diverse functions associated withdiverse services offered to users. Accordingly, in the intelligentnetwork, each exchange C1, C2 has a service function referred to as theservice access switch CAS1, CAS2. In a given geographical area, aplurality of service access switches are connected via the signalingnetwork RS to a service server also known as a service control pointPCS.

[0032] The server PCS in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 incorporates atleast voicemail services, analogous to telephone answering and recordingequipments, for user terminals, such as the user terminal T1, served bythe exchange C1. The voicemail server PCS includes a voice recognitiondevice so that it can accept either spoken instructions or instructionsin DTMF code from the user terminals, such as the terminals T1 and T2.In a variant the server PCS does not include any voice recognitionsystem or DTMF code detecting device.

[0033] It is known in the art that the mail facility associated with theterminal T1 in the server PCS includes two tables TNM1 and TAM1 mappingdeposited messages M intended for the terminal T1 and telephone numbersN of terminals sending the messages, such as the second terminal T2. Thefirst table TMN1 relates to messages deposited recently that have notyet been consulted by the user U1 of the terminal T1. The second tableTAM1 relates to old messages intented for the user U1, who has alreadyconsulted them and decided to store them until they are consulted againor deleted manually or automatically.

[0034] In accordance with the invention, the correspondence tables TMN1and TAM1 of the voicemail facility for the user U1 are associated with adirectory R1 of user telephone numbers N for the user U1 with associatedlabels ET. For example, a label can comprise the name, or the nickname,or an abbreviated name, or an alphanumeric word designating a user andassociated with his telephone number. In the context of the invention,the number N, or the label ET, or the combination of the number and thelabel, of a user in the directory constitutes a user identifier ID.

[0035] In order to describe this first embodiment of the notificationmethod according to the invention, it is assumed that the first user U1subscribes to the notification service using the method of theinvention; consequently, an indication of the user's subscription iscontained in the service access switch CAS1 connected to the terminal T1in order to initiate the method of the invention each time that theterminal T1 of the user U1 signals seizing of the line L1, i.e. goesoff-hook, to the exchange C1. In response to this off-hook condition,the service access switch CAS1 activates consultation of the mailfacility associated with the terminal T1, in particular by transmittingan identification number of the user U1, for example his telephonenumber, in order to select in the server PCS the voicemail facilityassociated with the terminal T1.

[0036] Initially, in a step E0 shown in FIG. 2, the user U2 of theterminal T2 has called the terminal T1, the terminal T1 has notresponded because the user U1 is absent, and the voicemail service inthe server PCS has prompted the user U2 to deposit a voice message M2 inorder to store it in the new message table TMN1 with the telephonenumber N2 of the terminal T2 that the exchange C2 has transmitted to theserver PCS via the exchange C1 and the switch CAS1.

[0037] The notification method according to the invention shown in FIG.2 essentially comprises ten steps E1 to E10.

[0038] In a first step E1, the user U1 decides to call the user U2. Theterminal T1 seizes the line L1 resulting from an off hook action, i.e.when the user U1 presses a hands-free key or lifts the handset of theterminal T1. In response to this outgoing call request, the exchange C1transmits dial tone to the terminal T1, which transmits to the exchangeC1 the identifier ID2 of the terminal T2 entered by the user U1. Theidentifier ID2 can be the telephone number N2 of the user U2 entered viathe keypad of the terminal T1 by the user U1, or the label ET2 of theterminal T2, for example the name of the user U2, spoken into themicrophone of the terminal T1 by the user U1 if the label ET2 hasalready been entered into the directory R1.

[0039] After verifying that the subscriber profile of the user U1indicates that he has subscribed to the notification service accordingto the invention, and in response to the outgoing call request in thepreceding step E1, in step E2 the switch CAS1 transmits a message toactivate the voicemail facility associated with the terminal T1 in thevoicemail server PCS. The activation message contains the call number N1of the terminal T1, constituting a mail address, and the identifier ID2of the user U2, constituting an address of a message stored in the mailservice.

[0040] In step E3 the voicemail server PCS looks for any message M2which is associated with the identifier ID2 of the terminal T2 andstored in the table TNM1. This is done by comparing the receivedidentifier ID2 with the identifiers contained in the new message tableTNM1 associated with the terminal T1, if necessary by consulting thedirectory R1 if the identifier ID2 is the label ET2. If no message hasbeen deposited by the user U2, the next step is the final step E10,consisting of withdrawing the intervention of the service accessfunction CAS1 in the exchange C1 and thereby continuing to set up theoutgoing call between the exchanges C1 and C2.

[0041] Otherwise, if a message M2 is found in the new message tableTNM1, the voicemail server PCS transmits to the terminal T1 anotification to listen to the message M2 via the switch CAS1 and theexchange C1 in step E4. The notification to listen to the message is thefollowing voice message, for example: “your voicemail includes a messagefrom N2” if the user entered the number N2 in step E1, or “ET2 has leftyou a message”, if the user U1 spoke the label ET2 in step E1. Thenotification to listen of step E4 is followed by the additional message“if you want to listen to the message, press the star key, or if youprefer to go direct to setting up the call, press the hash key”, if thevoicemail service in the server PCS has no voice recognition device. Ifthe server PCS has a voice recognition device, the additional message isinstead “if you wish to listen to the message, say YES, or if you preferto go direct to setting up the call say NO”, or a combination of the twoadditional messages is transmitted.

[0042] In the next step E11, if the terminal T1 has sent the server PCSa message declining to listen, by pressing the # key on the keypad ofthe terminal T1 or saying “NO”, the method continues with step E9described below.

[0043] In response to the user pressing the * key or saying “YES” instep E5, in the next step E6 the server PCS sends the terminal T1 themessage M2 read in the new message table TMN1 with the associatedidentifier ID2 transmitted in step E2. If several messages M2 from theuser U2 have been stored in the table TMN1 associated with the user U1in the server PCS, the user U1 uses a “Next” command associated with apredetermined key of the keypad of the terminal T1 to consult thesuccessive messages M2.

[0044] After the user has consulted the message or messages M2, in stepE7 the voicemail server PCS transmits to the terminal T1 a notificationto call the terminal T2, in order for the terminal T1 to confirm orcancel the setting up of the call to the terminal T2. This secondnotification can be the following voice message, for example: “toconfirm the call to T2, press 1” and/or “or say YES”, depending onwhether the voicemail service in the server PCS has a voice recognitiondevice or not. If in step E8 the user U1 does not wish to call the userU2 after listening to the message or messages M2, he hangs up or pressesan on-hook key on the keypad of the terminal T1, which releases the lineL1 in step E12.

[0045] Otherwise, the terminal T1 confirms the call to the terminal T2to the server PCS in step E8 by pressing the 1 key or saying “YES”.Following step E8 or step E11, in step E9 the message or messages M2that have just been consulted in the new messages table TMN1 aretransferred with the telephone number N2 of the terminal T2 into the oldmessage table TAM1.

[0046] Finally, in step 10, the server PCS confirms the setting up ofthe outgoing call between the terminals T1 and T2 to the exchange C1,eliminating the intervention of the switch CAS1 in further processing ofthe call.

[0047] In a more comprehensive embodiment with reference to FIG. 3, thenotification method further includes steps E13 to E17 between steps E6and E7. After the user has listened to the message or messages M2 instep E6, the supplementary steps consist of adding the caller to thedirectory R1 of the user U1 if, in an initial step E13, the server PCSdetermines that the directory R1 does not yet list the telephone numberN2 of the second terminal T2 constituting the identifier ID2 supplied bythe first terminal T1 to the server PCS in step E2 and corresponding toat least one new message M2 that has just been listened to in step E6.Otherwise, the directory is not modified (step E13, yes) and step E7 isexecuted.

[0048] After step E13, in step E14 the server PCS transmits to theterminal T1 a notification prompting it to add the label ET2 incorrespondence with the telephone number N2 to the directory R1. Thisnotification can be as follows: “if you would like to add this user toyour directory, press 1, or if not press the # key”, if the server PCSdoes not include a voice recognition device, or: “if you wish to addthis number to your directory, say YES, or if not say NO”, if the serverPCS includes a voice recognition device.

[0049] In response to confirmation of adding the label in the form ofthe DTMF code “1” or the word “YES” in step E15, in step E16 the serverPCS transmits to the terminal T1 another notification to ask “whichlabel is to be associated with the call number N2”. The user U1 entersthe label ET2 on the keypad of the terminal T1, or speaks the label ET2into the microphone of the terminal T1 if the server PCS has alreadyindicated that it includes a voice recognition device by prompting theuser to say “YES” or “NO”, in particular in the preceding step E13.Accordingly, in step E17, the label ET2 is transmitted from the terminalT1 to the server PCS and entered in the directory R1 with the associatedtelephone number N2. It is recalled that the label ET2 can be the name,or a nickname, or an abbreviated number, or any other alphanumeric wordfor the user U2.

[0050] Then, after step E17, or after step E15 if the user has pressedthe # key or said “NO”, the method proceeds to step E7 already describedwith reference to FIG. 2.

[0051] In a second embodiment of the invention, for which the referencenumbers appear in brackets in FIG. 1, the terminal T1 is a mobileradiotelephone terminal connected to a base station of a radiotelephonynetwork via a traffic radio channel CRT replacing the line L1. Theequivalent of the exchange C1 in the network RTC is the mobile servicesswitching center MSC serving the base station previously cited, to whichthe radiotelephone terminal is temporarily connected. In the fixednetwork of the radiotelephony network, there is a service accessfunction equivalent to the switch CAS1 and associated with thecombination of the mobile services switching center MSC and the visitorlocation register VLR associated therewith and containing the subscriberprofile of the mobile terminals in its location area, together with atleast one voicemail server equivalent to the server PCS and connected toa plurality of mobile services switching centers MSC via the signalingnetwork of the radiotelephony network. The address of the voicemailserver PCS associated with the mobile terminal T1 is included in thesubscriber profile stored temporarily in the register VLR andpermanently in the home location register HLR of the radiotelephonynetwork.

[0052] Consequently, with the exception of the interchanging of thefunctions in step E1, during which the identifier ID2 is first enteredin the mobile telephone T1, followed by the user of terminal T1requesting setting up of the outgoing call by pressing the off-hooktraffic channel seizing key, the process steps E0 to E17 described abovefor fixed terminals in the switched telephone network RTC are equallyapplicable to mobile radiotelephone terminal in a radiotelephonynetwork.

[0053] The scope of the invention is independent of the fixed or mobilenature of the user terminals: the terminals T1 and T2 can both be fixedterminals or mobile terminals, or one of them can be a fixed terminaland the other a mobile terminal.

What we claim is:
 1. A method of notifying a first terminal (T1) of amessage (M2) deposited by a second terminal (T2) in a voicemail server(PCS) associated with the first terminal, characterized in that, after arequest (E1) to call the second terminal (T2) from the first terminal(T1), the method comprises the following steps: transmitting (E2) to thevoicemail server (PCS) an identifier (ID2) of the second terminal (T2)supplied by the first terminal, looking for (E3) the transmittedidentifier (ID2) in a new message table (TMN1) of the voicemail server(PCS) that maps non-listened messages transmitted by terminals andintented for the first terminal (T1) and identifiers of said terminals,from the voicemail server (PCS) notifying (E4) to the first terminal(T1) of the presence of a message associated with the identifier (ID2)of the second terminal (T2) and found in the new message table (TMN1),transmitting (E6) said message (M2) from the voicemail server (PCS) tothe first terminal (T1) to listen to the message in response to amessage listening request (E5) from the first terminal, and from thevoicemail server (PCS) notifying (E7) the first terminal (T1) of aprompt to confirm (E8) or cancel (E12) the setting up of the call of thesecond terminal (T2) after listening to said message (M2).
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the identifier (ID2) of the secondterminal (T2) transmitted (E2) to the voicemail server (PCS) is suppliedby the first terminal (T1) by entering the identifier on the keypad ofthe first terminal or by speaking the identifier into the firstterminal.
 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the voicemailserver (PCS) contains a directory (R1) set up from the first terminal(T1) and mapping telephone numbers (N2) of terminals (T2) andalphanumeric labels (ET2), the identifier (ID2) of a terminal being thetelephone number and/or the label of that terminal.
 4. A methodaccording to claim 3, further comprising the following steps after thestep (E6) of transmitting said message (M2) to the first terminal (T1)when the identifier (ID2) of the second terminal (T2) is the telephonenumber (N2) of the latter and is not included (E13, NO) in the directory(R1): from the voicemail server (PCS) notifying (E14) the first terminal(T1) of a prompt to add to the directory (R1) a label (ET2) of thesecond terminal (T2) in correspondence with the telephone number (N2),proceeding (E15, NO) to the step (E7) of notifying the setting up of thecall, in response to the first terminal (T1) declining to add a label ofthe second terminal to the directory, from the voicemail server (PCS)notifying (E16) the first terminal (T1) of a label request (ET2), inresponse to the first terminal (T1) confirming addition of the label(E15, YES) to the voicemail server (PCS), and transmitting (E17) saidlabel (ET2) from the first terminal (T1) to the voicemail server (PCS)and proceeding to the step (E7) of notifying the setting-up of the call.5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising, in thevoicemail server (PCS), transferring (E9) the found message (M2) withthe identifier (ID2) of the second terminal (T2) from the new messagetable (TMN1) to an old message table (TAM1).
 6. A method according toany one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a response (E5, E8, E14, E16) from thefirst terminal (T1) to a step (E4, E7, E13, E15) of notifying from thevoicemail server (PCS) is a DTMF code or a voice message.
 7. A voicemailserver (PCS) connected to switching and service access means (C1, MSC,CAS1, VLR) of a switched telephone network (RTC) when a first terminal(T1) is a fixed terminal, or of a radiotelephony network if the firstterminal (T1) is a mobile radiotelephone terminal, characterized in thatit comprises means (TNM1) for looking for an identifier (ID2) of thesecond terminal (T2) supplied by the first terminal to the voicemailserver (PCS) via the switching and service access means (C1, MSC, CAS1,VLR) in a new message table (TNM1) of the voicemail server (PCS) thatmaps non-listened messages transmitted by terminals and intented for thefirst terminal (T1) and identifiers of said terminal, following arequest (E1) to call a second terminal (T2) from the first terminal(T1), and for transmitting to the first terminal (T1) a notification(E4) of the presence of a message associated with the identifier (ID2)of the second terminal (T2) and found in the new message table (TNM1).8. A voicemail server according to claim 7, characterized in that itcomprises a directory (R1) derived from the first terminal (T1) formapping telephone numbers (N2) of second terminals (T2) and alphanumericlabels (ET2).